Show & Tell: Winter Wonderland

Every year as the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop, it's a good time to stop and take stock of your year, what you accomplished and what you dreamt, the struggles you overcame, and the hopes you have for the new year.  

Holidays in Nature

From Corey:

California’s majestic Yosemite National Park is frequently touristed during the summer, but it’s winter which captures my heart. Five years ago we began a new winter holiday tradition: Yosemite in December. We like to stay at the historic Wawona Hotel around winter solstice, in the days just before Christmas. From there, we go on hikes during the day, wearing our winter gear. It usually snows at least once during our stay; on those days we stay by the fire all day, playing board games for hours. We share this tradition with friends, who’ve been known to join us for a night or three.   

The Wawona Hotel’s regular pianist Tom Bopp has been entertaining guests at the hotel since 1983. He arrives in the evenings just after supper, and the fun begins. Thus begins music, hot tea, hot toddies (for adults), more board games, and a lot of mingling with strangers who become fast friends in festive winter wonderland environs. Bopp takes requests, and every night there’s singing, laughing, board games, and the quiet softness of snow falling outdoors, visible through the windows. I often wondered what we look like through the windows, if someone were peering in through the snow. One night I went outside to take a peek inward. Without a doubt, the inside of the Wawona was as peaceful and joyous as we all felt. 

This year, of course, we are not at the Wawona in Yosemite. We aren’t making musical requests, we aren’t playing Settlers of Catan by the fire. We aren’t bundling up for a hike on frosty ground. But, we are grateful to have these memories to hold and keep close as we reflect on everything we’ve learned in 2020, we know we’ll be back in Yosemite next winter to sing-a-long with Tom Bopp, and watch the snow gently blanket one of our favorite places on earth. Yosemite in winter: a secret wonderland and something to look forward in the new year.  

A Quiet Night

From Lisa:
Living in the desert, my ideas about winter are pretty different than most - for me it means cold mornings, where cold is in the high 30's to low 40's Farenheit.  It also means warm (60-70F) days with gorgeous blue skies, and the leaves on some of our trees are *just* starting to turn colors.  

Mostly winter in the desert is a short break from the hottest part of the year.  We especially needed it this year as it's been one of the hottest on record.  

And every year on the solstice, I like to sit outside, snuggled up in a blanket, and just have a few quiet hours.  Sometimes I'll read or listen to an old favorite audio book, and I generally have a glass of mulled wine or a steaming mug of hot apple cider.  The important part though is just sitting and being.  Watching the stars peek out as the night sky darkens, and knowing that starting tomorrow, the light will last longer, and the longest night is behind me.  

Deck the Halls

From Ami: 

Decorating for the holidays is something my mom always took VERY seriously. Outside, inside, and even the backyard were adorned from top to bottom as soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers were stored in the fridge. 

This year, my mom shared a piece of childhood with my sister and me by sending us each a full box of decorations that were staples from Christmases growing up. My favorite by far is a collection of (now) vintage Santa statues gifted to me from my Great Aunt each year until I was about 12. Each one is unique and bears the year it was gifted. Some are glass or papier-mache. Some are plastic and light up or dance and sing. Each has its own personality and memories attached.

I’m sad not to be able to visit my mom’s this year and see them on her mantle, but instead, this year I get to bring the tradition home and see them on mine. It’s my own little piece of nostalgic winter wonderland. 

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for a home." 

~Edith Sitwell

Now you tell us... what are your winter traditions? What is your favorite part of winter?